To The Uttermost Bounds of the Earth

Oral Roberts University began with a big dream: “raise up your students to hear My voice, to go where My light is dim, where My voice is heard small, and My healing power is not known, even to the uttermost bounds of the earth. Their work will exceed yours, and in this I am well pleased.

Fifty years later, the physical campus has expanded, enrollment is booming, alumni are serving God in an amazing 102 nations, and under the guidance of ORU’s fourth president, Dr. William M. Wilson, the university’s future looks brighter than ever.

As the university approached its golden anniversary, the time was fitting to launch a 50^th anniversary campaign, appropriately titled “To the Uttermost Bounds of the Earth.”

“We are dreaming once again at ORU,” Dr. Wilson said, “and ready to become a leader among the world’s universities in technology, global learning opportunities and scholarship. Envisioning the next 50 years, I feel confident that the best is yet to come! Through this campaign, ORU will have the resources required to make Spirit-empowered Whole Person Education more accessible to a broader global audience.”

The campaign’s four components—Globalization of Whole Person Education, Quest Whole Person Scholarship Program, Enhanced Physical Campus, and Strengthened University Endowment—have inspired alumni and friends to commit more than $40 million toward the campaign goals: $50 million for immediate growth and $20 million for the endowment.

“This is a Year of Jubilee at ORU,” Wilson said. “While we celebrate the accomplishments of the past and honor those who built a solid foundation for this university, we are most excited to see what God is calling us to do around the globe in the 21^st century.”

The university is operating from a position of strength, with no long-term debt, no deficit, and no reliance on lines of credit. More than $100 million has been spent on campus improvements since 2008. Enrollment has been on the rise since 2009. ORU Online, utilizing a proprietary online learning portal, saw a 108 percent increase in enrollment this year, was named to Oklahoma’s Top Ten Online Colleges by BestSchools.com, and earned “Best Online Colleges in Oklahoma” accolades from AffordableCollegesOnline.com.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be at ORU as we celebrate our 50^th anniversary and to see ORU in a position where we are once again dreaming about the future,” said Wilson. “The mission that the university was founded on is alive and well. And we are looking forward to seeing what God has in store for the next 50 years.”

As ORU looks outward, the technological infrastructure needed for two-way communication is being put into place on campus to create a seamless “ORU to the world, the world to ORU” experience. The new Global Learning Center, scheduled to open in the spring of 2016, is transforming the former Baby Mabee broadcast studio into a one-of-a-kind education hub, featuring video conferencing, a recording studio, distance-education classrooms, a and performance hall and a virtual augmented reality classroom. The latter is of special value because studies have shown that students who are immersed in virtual learning environments are 100 percent more engaged with the subject and see their test scores improve by 30 percent.

Within the campaign are two mini-campaigns. One involves business professor Dr. George Gillen, who estimates that about 14,000 students have passed through his classroom in the past 50 years. To honor this professor for the very first class at ORU, the university is raising $500,000 in order to name the virtual reality/augmented reality classroom after Gillen.

Coach Bernis Duke also arrived at ORU in 1965 and has impacted the lives of thousands of students, from the players on his early tennis teams to recent students in his badminton classes. ORU wants to honor his service by raising $500,000 to name the new Tennis Complex for him.

Donors also have the opportunity to sponsor a Quest scholarship, individual tennis courts within the new tennis complex, the Global Learning Center, and the apartment-style residence for upperclassmen.

“It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to leave a legacy for your family or a loved one, by naming a scholarship, room, court or building after them,” ORU Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations Laura Bishop added.

Another campaign goal is to achieve 100 percent participation from ORU schools and departments—23 have joined to date, including the Board of Trustees, President’s Cabinet and the Alumni Board, “with more coming in every day,” Bishop said. Local businesses and ministries are also involved as they see the value that ORU alumni bring to the workforce and to faith-based careers.

There’s plenty of evidence that the university is doing an excellent job of preparing students for post-college life. ORU graduates typically exceed the national average when it comes to licensing and field test scores and acceptance rates to law and medical schools. Engineering and business graduates are frequently offered jobs before they receive their diplomas. ORU has made The Princeton Review’s “Best of the West” list of colleges every year since 2012; ranked No. 5 on a “20 Healthiest Colleges” list; placed in the top 10 percent of U.S. News’ “Most Selective” category among 120 West-Regional universities; and rated high for “Return on Investment” by AffordableCollegesOnline.com. Along with academic preparation, ORU students get ready for ministry. In 2014-15, 604 students spent 10,020 hours doing weekly Tulsa-area outreach, and 44 teams (Spring Break, Music to the Nations, Summer Missions) with a total of 462 students ministered in 18 countries.

“ORU’s DNA has always been to be able to send out Spirit-empowered leaders with a Christian worldview who are spiritually alive, intellectually alert, physically disciplined, socially adept and professionally competent—to tackle today’s problems,” Wilson said. “We know this is needed now more than ever. Our contribution to the next 50 years is to send out top-notch students prepared to make a difference in the world for today and for eternity.”

To make a gift to the 50^th Anniversary Campaign, go to oru.edu/give or call the Development office at 918.495.7220.